Bridgestone’s Australian plant looks safer

Bridgestone Australia (Adelaide) has stated that the future of its Salisbury tyre-making plant looks “more assured”. Settlement of an improved wage agreement and several other changes late last year had resulted in “modest improvements” at the loss-making operation. Local manufacturing losses, intense competition and the higher cost of raw materials had caused a 15 per cent drop in net profit in 2003 to 10.